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An Investigation of the Effects of Sports-related Concussion in Youth Using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging and the Head Impact Telemetry System
07:02

An Investigation of the Effects of Sports-related Concussion in Youth Using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging and the Head Impact Telemetry System

Published on: January 12, 2011

Spinal cord concussion in pediatric athletes

D Rathbone1, G Johnson, M Letts

  • 1Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, Canada.

Journal of Pediatric Orthopedics
|September 1, 1992
PubMed

Insights

Narrowed spinal canals in children do not consistently predict spinal cord concussion after injury. The Torg ratio showed a poor correlation, suggesting it

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Orthopedics
  • Neurology
  • Spinal Cord Injury Research

Background:

  • Children with congenital spinal stenosis or malformations may be at risk for spinal cord concussion.
  • Hyperflexion or hyperextension can further narrow the spinal canal, potentially leading to injury.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between spinal canal narrowing and spinal cord concussion in pediatric patients.
  • To evaluate the Torg ratio as a predictor of spinal cord injury in children.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective review of medical records from two children's hospitals.
  • Analysis of 12 pediatric cases with transient sensory or motor loss post-spinal injury.
  • Measurement of spinal canal width and calculation of the Torg ratio (spinal canal width as a percentage of vertebral width).

Main Results:

  • Spinal canal narrowing was an inconsistent predisposing factor for spinal cord concussion in the studied children.
  • A poor correlation was observed between the Torg ratio and normal spinal canal widths.
  • The Torg ratio did not reliably predict the risk of spinal cord concussion.

Conclusions:

  • Narrowing of the spinal canal is not a consistent predictor of spinal cord concussion in children.
  • The Torg ratio demonstrates limited utility in assessing the risk of spinal cord injury in pediatric patients with spinal trauma.

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